# The impact of gender on alcohol use in peer drinking contexts

> **NIH NIH R15** · REED COLLEGE · 2022 · $427,553

## Abstract

PROJECT TITLE: The impact of gender on alcohol use in peer drinking contexts
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 The aim of this mixed-methods research is to examine the impact of gender identification and group
dynamics on alcohol-related decision making in peer social contexts for emerging adults. While alcohol use
and consequences are highest among emerging adults (18-25 year olds) compared to other age groups,
little is known about how gender identification and gender dynamics impact alcohol use in this population. In
human research, sex typically denotes biology (male-female) while gender refers to identity (e.g., cisgender
[where sex assigned at birth and gender identity match], gender diverse [where sex assigned at birth does
not match gender identity]). Despite evidence of a narrowing gap in terms of sex-based drinking patterns,
daily alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking (HED; 5+ drinks per episode) is more common for males than
females in emerging adulthood. Gender diverse individuals engage in more HED and have greater odds of
reporting alcohol-related negative consequences and suicidal ideation while drinking than cisgender
participants. The composition of drinking groups, by both gender and size, influence alcohol consumption.
Mixed-gender groups (composed of men and women) and other-gender groups (composed of people whose
gender differs from that of the drinker) promote greater alcohol use, a phenomenon that interacts with group
size. Women may also be more likely to perceive threats in social contexts involving alcohol and engage in
protective behavioral strategies to mitigate harms from drinking than men (e.g., eating before drinking,
leaving a drinking venue at a specific time). As research typically focuses on putative cisgender samples,
less is known about how gender diversity in drinking groups impacts consumption. We will recruit 260
participants between the ages of 18 - 25 years who endorse being cisgender (n = 180) and gender diverse
(transmasculine, transfeminine, nonbinary; n = 80). Using automated simulation methods online, we will
determine how group size, gender identification and gender dynamics, including perceived gender match-
mismatch and gender constellation of the group, impact behavioral willingness to drink in peer social
contexts. Using open-ended cognitive assessment techniques and structured interviews with a subset of
participants (n = 80), we will further identify how gender identification and social characteristics of drinking
contexts (group size, gender dynamics) elicit differential responding in terms of perceived risk from drinking
and identification of potential protective behavioral strategies, both considered protective against the
consequences of risky drinking. The long-term objectives of this line of research are: 1. to understand how
gender dynamics convey risk and protection for alcohol-related consequences, and 2. to prevent gender-
based health disparities related to problematic alcohol consumption...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10512351
- **Project number:** 1R15AA029524-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** REED COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** KRISTEN G ANDERSON
- **Activity code:** R15 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $427,553
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-07 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10512351

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10512351, The impact of gender on alcohol use in peer drinking contexts (1R15AA029524-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10512351. Licensed CC0.

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